A high-level policy-oriented workshop was organized under the aegis of the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog), in collaboration with the Department of Fisheries, Government of Kerala, and the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (ICAR-CMFRI), on 5th January 2024 at ICAR-CMFRI Headquarters, Kochi, India. The workshop was titled “Harnessing the Potential of Fisheries in the Marine States” and primarily intended to serve as a platform to garner ideas and opinions towards developing strategies and options to optimize the harvest and utilization of marine resources in India’s EEZ. The workshop was attended by Shri. Suman Bery, Hon. Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, and Prof. Ramesh Chand, Hon. Member (Agriculture), NITI Aayog, and senior officials and delegates representing the NITI Aayog, Department of Fisheries, Government of Kerala, Marine Products Exports Development Authority (MPEDA), office bearers of Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI), scientists and staff of ICAR-CMFRI, Fishery Survey of India (FSI), ICAR-CIFT and other research and academic institutions, representatives of fishermen associations, civil society of organizations and other stakeholder institutions. The forum enabled experience-sharing between coastal states, facilitated discussion on key challenges, and aided deliberations on a variety of potential solutions. The presentations and discussions also focused on how technology and policy changes can make fishing more efficient, while also encouraging a shift towards mariculture and land-based fish farming. This brief note delves into the eleven key recommendations proposed as part of the workshop deliberations by Dr. A. Gopalakrishnan, Director, ICAR-CMFRI towards harnessing the potential of marine fisheries in India. Implementing these critical policy action points will require careful consideration at the highest levels of the government and a coordinated effort from all stakeholders within the marine fishing industry. These priority areas were chosen by carefully considering the challenges to growth within the sector, the need to ensure the sustainability of marine ecosystems, opportunities to tap into new resources, and our national and global commitments. The prioritization was also guided by recent research findings in the field of marine fisheries and experiences of interacting with various stakeholders associated with fish harvesting, marketing, processing, trade, and other extended value chains.